Dear Action Line: Why is there a sign outside the Strater Hotel dedicated to a State Trooper? I don’t know who this is or what happened. Did I miss something? – Just Joe
Dear Joe: Well, Action Line must admit that we both did. This is a sad and tragic story, but with a heartwarming ending.
The blue sign with white lettering on Seventh Street, maybe 20 yards west of Main Avenue, reads, “In memory of State Trooper Richard Edstrom.” Underneath is a metal plate depicting yellow wings on either side of a motorcycle wheel. That’s the Colorado State Patrol insignia – the “flying wheel” you see on patrol patches and on the sides of troopers’ vehicles.
So, who was Richard Edstrom?
He was a corporal, an eight-year veteran with the Colorado State Patrol, and lived in Durango with his family. On Sept. 19, 1959, J.L. West and two others escaped from jail in Aztec and headed north, leading officers on a 70 mph chase. West ran off as two of the escapees were apprehended at a dead-end street. At about 9:15 p.m., Edstrom encountered West outside the Strater Hotel. West pointed his pistol at Edstrom, who was shot twice as he tried to grab the pistol’s barrel. West was killed by assisting Durango police in the ensuing gunbattle. Edstrom survived for 39 days before dying of a blood clot in his lung Oct. 28 at Mercy Hospital.
For a couple of years, beginning in 2016, law enforcement officers around the region got together in May for a Law Enforcement Memorial Walk, a tribute to the officers who have died in the line of duty in La Plata County. The count here is at eight, and this list of fallen officers goes back to 1906.
Also in 2016, at the behest of the Colorado State Patrol Women’s Resource Network, state legislation was passed allowing for roadside memorials for fallen State Patrol officers.
On Oct. 28, 2017, a ceremony was held along Seventh Street to honor Cpl. Edstrom, who had died 58 years previously. The sign was unveiled at that time. Several members of Edstrom’s family, including a son and grandchildren, attended.
“I can’t begin to tell you how much my dad loved this town,” his son, Gene Edstrom, told the crowd gathered for the unveiling. Gene was 17 when his father died. “I still get people who come up to me today and say they knew my dad, and that he was a fair man. That’s some kind of legacy.”
It was a neat way to honor Edstrom so he will not be forgotten, said Cpl. Jonathan Silver, a locally based state trooper. And it’s a reminder, he said, that even in a quiet place like Durango, officers must be ever vigilant.
So we’ve now encountered rivers that should be creeks, and a river that illogically flows into a creek. (See last two Action Lines.) Action Line hesitates to wade into the waters again, but here goes.
A reader wrote: “You really dove deep to bring that answer to the surface. So, a related question: Why is Brookside Park alongside Junction Creek? Shouldn’t it have been named Creekside Park? … Thanks for undeconfusing this!”
Wow, good question. Brookside Park is a 2-acre underutilized city park between 23rd and 24th streets along West Second Avenue. It has a playground and picnic tables. Great for small kids.
The answer: Brooks babble, and sometimes they even burble. Creeks make more of an even sound, like a running noise. Sometimes creeks can sound as if they’re falling. Both brooks and creeks meander, but only experts can recognize a meandering sound. Bottom line, if you spend a few minutes listening to Junction Creek in this vicinity, you should hear some obvious, major babbling. Nobody wanted to rename it Junction Brook in this one section because that would be too confusing. But it made sense to name the park Brookside because of the sound.
There you go. This is verifiable science. You’re welcome.
Have you seen it yet?
No? Well, go take a look. Yes, it’s true: A brand new no-left-turn sign has been installed along the Main Avenue entrance/exit to/from north City Market. (For the learning impaired, that means that if you exit here, you should turn right.)
Action Line is taking full credit for this new sign, even though only a tiny percent of that credit is deserved. A July 9 Action Line column raised the issue of access there, and that the red on the old sign had faded away, making it difficult to notice.
North City Market Manager Audie Morris says the sign was replaced at the store level.
“Action Line strikes again,” Morris said. “Thanks for the heads up.”
There. Action Line continues to change the world for the better.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Does Action Line need a cape? Maybe even an Actionmobile? Maybe a bigger hat for a swollen head?
